Rensmee Goes to Kindergarten
by EmilyIndie
Summary: What happens when Renesmee goes to school for the first time? Do adrenaline rushes run in the family? Is Volturi a real last name? Rated T for mild language. And because I don't want to get in trouble.


Renesmee Goes to Kindergarten 

Chapter 1: Bella

"Come on, Edward. We can't keep her locked up forever!" I said.

"The hell we can't!" he yelled angrily.

I was trying to introduce the concept of public (or private; anything but home-based) school to Edward. Not for us, of course, everyone in Forks knew we had already graduated. But Renesmee was getting lonely. Her only friend was a seventeen year old werewolf (or, according to Aro, "shape-shifter") who probably would have hated her if they weren't "destined to be together." (The whole imprinting thing still made me a little anxious.)

"Well, what do you think we should do?' I asked him, more calmly than he probably deserved. "Keep her in the house 'till she's forty?"

"No! We only need to keep her until she's seven." I looked at him skeptically until he realized I'd been using sarcasm to make my point.

"Bella," he started. He was still a bit embarrassed about taking me so literally, which lightened the mood of our conversation. "We can't take her out in public yet. You know that. She's still growing too fast!"

I started to protest, but I was interrupted by Alice's sudden arrival.

"Ugh! Can't you two ever keep it quiet? I'm _trying _to watch a movie!" She complained.

"I want to take Renesmee to school." I said.

"But I say it's too risky. Someone's bound to notice her daily growth spurts!" Edward argued.

"Well," Alice thought for a moment. "Edward's right about the exposure risk. But," she said, turning to me, you may be onto something, Bella. Nessie should be at least a little socialized."

"As much as I hate to admit this, that's a good idea, Alice." Edward admitted.

"Thanks for keeping me in the loop, guys. I feel so special." Oh God, I was starting to sound like Jacob.

"Alice thinks we should just take Renesmee to school for one day instead of a whole year." Edward said, obviously relieved that Alice had come up with a compromise for us.

"Alice also thinks that she wants Edward to stop speaking for her." Alice said, annoyed.

"Sorry," Edward mumbled, feigning guilt. I laughed.

"I want to buy a new dress for Renesmee. Is that okay, Bella?" Alice asked.

"Alice, I don't think…" I started.

"Perfect! The first semester starts tomorrow. We'll go shopping...now!" She ran up the stairs to get Renesmee and came down carrying my giggling daughter about two milliseconds later. "Are you guys ready?" she asked Edward and me.

"Hey! Wait a second." Jacob came running into the room, shoes on, ready to leave. "How can you take Nessie and not me?" He asked.

"Jake, I know you'd love to spend every waking moment with Renesmee, but we're going dress shopping. You probably wouldn't have much fun." I said.

"Momma, why can't Jacob come with us?" Renesmee asked.

"Oh, come on! She wants me to come too! How could you leave me behind?" Jacob asked, putting on his best I'll-be-your-best-friend-if-you-do-this-for-me face. It was amazing how well a house-sized werewolf could pull off such a great puppy-dog pouty face.

"Jacob and I can spend some time in the bookstore while you three go shopping. We'll meet up with you there when you're finished." Edward said, with no hint of sarcasm in his voice. Jacob, Alice, and I all looked at him incredulously.

"Edward, are you being serious?" I asked.

"No way, dude! I thought you hated my guts!" Jacob said, not at all hiding his shock.

"Oh, believe me, I did at one point." Edward chuckled. "But you and Renesmee are…well, you know all about that. I might as well start trying to get used to you. Especially the smell." Alice and I laughed.

"Uh…thanks, I guess. You're not a complete nuisance either." Jacob replied awkwardly.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't even notice it anymore, Jacob." I said.

"I do!" Rosalie called from upstairs. Curse her sensitive vampire hearing!

"What are you talking about?" Renesmee asked. "I like how Jacob smells! It's like a forest."

"I'm sure he smells great to you, sweetie. Mommy and I just smell things a little differently." Edward said, laughing.

"What about…cake? And cookies?" Renesmee asked, confused. "You cook all the time, don't you like the smell?" Renesmee didn't eat much human food, but she did love anything filled with sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

"Let's put it this way, Nessie, your family has wacky noses." Jacob said.

"Well, if we're all done discussing aroma preferences, can we please get going?" Alice asked impatiently.

"Sure, let's go." I said, sighing.

"Can we take Bella's car?" Jacob asked eagerly. He was sometimes so immature it was almost funny.

I was so thrilled. Renesmee was really going to school! She wouldn't have any trouble looking like an average, gorgeous five-year-old.

But then I wondered, could she _act_ like a normal five-year-old?

Chapter 2: Bella

"Remember, Nessie," Edward started to say for the thousandth time as we got ready to leave for Renesmee's school. "No using your special talent..."

"And no running super fast, jumping super high, or using big words that other five-year-olds wouldn't. I know, Daddy!" Renesmee said.

"Just think of it as a game." I said. I seriously doubted that stressing her out would help at all.

"Okay Mommy," she paused "But I can't lose this 'game', can I?"

"I guess not, but..." I started awkwardly. Alice honked outside. She had insisted on coming with us, to see the other children's (and parent's) faces. They would probably be surprised; Alice had bought a bright pink sundress, complete with a large white bow. It didn't seem like a very sturdy ensemble, but Alice was an expert on knowing which fabrics were durable.

"Come on Renesmee, let's get in the car." I turned to Edward. "You too, Oh Reluctant One." He cracked a smile, the first all day.

During the ride to the elementary school, I became more and more nervous. What if Renesmee slipped and "showed" someone she was thirsty for something other than a juice box? Before I had time to completely lose my cool, we pulled up in front of a big, red brick building. A large, bronze sign over the door read, "Forks Elementary School."

"What a boring name." Alice commented from the back seat. "We should've taken her to private school.'

"Too late now," I sighed. _Keep calm,_ I told myself.

Alice, Edward, Renesmee, and I walked through the heavy wooden doors into the school. Somehow it looked even bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. Multicolored handprints painted onto construction paper adorned the walls.

"Here it is!" Alice announced happily. "Room 158. This is your new classroom, Nessie! Isn't that exciting?" Renesmee looked at Alice skeptically for a moment, but then feigned enthusiasm – impressively for a "five year old."

"Mrs.… Oh, God." Edward said, taking the paper from Alice. He seemed amused; I was worried.

"What? What is it? What's the woman's name?" I asked frantically. Was it someone we knew?

"Relax, Bella!" Alice laughed. "Gosh, talk about an overreaction. Nice job scaring her, Edward!"

"What. Is. Her. _NAME?_" I growled. I really didn't care about overreacting. I was sick of being excluded by the mind reader and the psychic.

"Bella, love," Edward said soothingly. It still amazed me that even his _voice_ could make me feel better. "Calm down. We just thought it was a bit ironic – in a humorous way – that the teacher's last name is… Volturi."

"Volturi?" I asked incredulously. "Is that even a real surname?"

"Apparently. I would guess it's Italian. But I'm sure it doesn't mean anything." Alice said reassuringly. "Either way, we should probably go _inside_ the classroom now."

As I reached for the doorknob, someone opened the door for us. A short, young looking woman stood in the doorway – a woman who annoyingly resembled Jane. She could never have actually passed for a vampire; her skin was reasonably tan, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald green. If that wasn't proof enough, I could smell her blood and hear her heart pulsing. Yes, she was definitely human.

"Hello!" She greeted us kindly – a bit too kindly; it sounded fake. "I'm Mrs. Volturi. Is this Nessie?"

"Renesmee." I corrected. How many times would I have to explain that I _hated _that stupid nickname?

"Well, Renesmee is going to have a _great _time with us today. Would you like to come in and see the classroom?" she asked.

"Sure, we'd _love _to." Alice said, mocking the teacher's over-the-top peppiness. We were led into a room full of small giggling children, most of who looked like they had stepped straight out of a Sears catalogue. I looked at Renesmee. She seemed a bit uneasy, but excited as well.

"Are you okay?" I asked her "We don't have to do this if you're too nervous."

"I'm fine, Momma. It's just one day." Renesmee said, squeezing my hand with her tiny fingers.

"Well," Edward said "I guess we should get going. Have fun, Renesmee."

"I will, Daddy." She ran off to go play with the other children, and we were left alone. Edward and I exchanged an anxious glance.

"Don't worry!" Alice said "I'm sure she'll be fine. Now let's get home; I never got to finish my movie!" As we got into the car to go home, I forced myself to be calm. After all, what could go wrong?

Chapter 3: Renesmee

The whole class was sitting in a semi circle on the floor in front of the teacher. I didn't understand why we couldn't use chairs, like civilized people, but I went along with it. After all, wasn't the story of the ugly duckling still fun to listen to after hearing - and in my case, reading and analyzing - it a million times?

"Okay boys and girls," the teacher began "It's time for a story!" All the children clapped and giggled, which I didn't understand either. Hadn't we already established that it was story time? "We're going to be reading _The Ugly Duckling. _Isn't that great?" This was getting ridiculous; we could all see the title from here! _Oh, wait, _I thought. _Can normal five year olds see that from all the way back here? Can they even read? _

"Once upon a time," she began "there was a family of ducks. There was a mommy duck, a daddy duck…" I stopped listening after she listed the second brother duck. Hadn't she ever heard of "Etcetera?" This had been one of the most boring days of my life. After Mom, Dad, and Aunt Alice left, I realized that most of the children were playing an extremely boring, pointless game called "Tag." The only objective of the game was to run around and "tag" another player by tapping them. After they were tagged, they became "it."

"What does 'it' mean?" I'd asked one of my classmates, a stout, pudgy boy named Jonathan.

"I dunno, it's when you have to run around and tag everybody else."

"So what's the point?"

"It's fun!" He took another bite of his Hershey bar and looked at me skeptically. "Whassa matter? You never played tag before?"

"Well," I didn't really know how I should reply to that. Should I have played tag before? "Not really, no."

"Ha-ha! You're _weird_!" He laughed, and then ran off to go join the game with the other kids. _If only Jacob were here, _I thought. _Nobody would make fun of me if there was a werewolf - er, "shape-shifter" - around, even if he wasn't phased. _

I was interrupted from my daydream when I heard Jonathan comment on the story. "So an ugly duckling doesn't fit in, huh? I know somebody like that." He looked at me tauntingly. Again, I wished Jacob would just show up here now. Jacob, _my _Jacob…

"Now, Jonathan," the teacher scolded. "Don't be rude to your classmates."

"But Mrs. Vol- Mrs. Volt-" He stammered, obviously unable to pronounce her last name. "Mrs. V, she's a freak!" I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and ducked my hide to hide the blush. _Renesmee Carlie Cullen, _I scolded myself. _Don't you _dare _cry now, in front of everybody. _But I couldn't help myself, tears started falling down my cheeks.

"Ha-ha! The weirdo girl is _crying_!" Jonathan taunted. "Crybaby!"

Mrs. Volturi walked over to me and put a comforting arm over my shoulder. (How could someone with such a terrible last name be so nice?)

"It's okay, sweetie, don't cry." She turned to Jonathan. "You, mister, are getting time-out! In the corner, now!"

"But ..."

"Now!" She turned back to me. "Would you like me to call your mommy?"

"No thanks," I said, wiping my tears away. I didn't want my family think I couldn't handle doing anything without them. "I'm okay, really."

"Alright," she said, and tentatively stood up and walked back to the front of the room. "Well, class, the day's almost over," She was right, I had no idea it was so late. "So let's have a snack and wait for your parents, okay?"

We sat at out tables and waited - some of us not so patiently – for Mrs. Volturi (I'd fully gotten over the uneasy feeling her last name used to give me.) to pass out cookies, orange sticks, and white and brown cartons. When she got to my seat, I couldn't bear the curiosity any longer.

"Mrs. Volturi?" I asked timidly.

"Yes, Renesmee?" I beckoned for her to come closer so I could whisper; I didn't want to give Jonathan any more incentive to mock me.

"What are those sticks made of, and what's in those cartons?" I asked.

She seemed baffled, but answered me anyway. "They're carrot sticks and milk, sweetie, don't you eat them at home?"

"Uh, not really," I said awkwardly. _I really don't drink a wide range of beverages. _I added in my mind.

"Well," she started, unsure of what to say next. "It's always good to try new things, isn't it?"

"I guess so," I said as she put the snacks on my plate. I looked at the carrots. They didn't seem very appetizing. I took a bite, regardless, and nearly spat it out. It tasted like plastic! (And I would know, I'd tasted a lot before I found what I liked.) I decided to stick to the cookies, which weren't half as good as the ones Daddy made, but they were edible. I was just getting up to throw out what I didn't eat when someone knocked on the classroom door. Mrs. Volturi went to open it. I could tell who was at the door by her reaction; she was pressed against the wall, with her hand on her chest.

"I'm looking for Renesmee. Is she here?" A deep voice asked from outside.

"Who," Mrs. Volturi said, catching her breath. "Who are you? You weren't here when she got dropped off."

"I'm her uncle." That was a pretty reasonable excuse, because at this point "family friend" probably wouldn't cut it.

I walked over to the door and understood Mrs. Volturi's reaction. Jacob stood in the doorway, bare - chested, wearing only a leather jacket and ripped jeans. He must've been running just before he came here.

"Do you know this man?" Mrs. Volturi asked me. I ignored her. I was so happy to see Jacob after such a terrible day.

"Jacob!" I squealed, running up to him. He laughed as he picked me up.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked the baffled teacher. Behind him, Momma, Daddy, and Aunt Alice came in, laughing. "So how was your day, Nessie?"

"Not…terrible." I said. "I'll tell you more when we get home."

Right now, I was just happy to be out of school.

Chapter 4: Bella

When we got into the school, Jacob was holding Renesmee. It was just like him to race us to the school. He hadn't even bothered to change his clothes.

"Hi!" Renesmee waved at us.

"Hey, Nessie!" Alice called. Jacob put her down and she ran over to us. Big mistake. No five-year-old runs like that.

"Did you see how fast she just ran?" the teacher yelled.

"I had…" Renesmee started. "An adrenaline rush." She looked up at Edward, who was smiling. "It is very common, you can Google it.

We all laughed – except Mrs. Volturi, who was looking at us like we were insane.

"Like father, like daughter." I said.

_© 2008 Emily Grace Bushey. All rights reserved. _


End file.
